An Unexpected Visitor
by LucyLuna
Summary: While babysitting Miles for a couple of hours as a favor to his father, an unexpected visitor drops in on them. Part four of My Memories Came Back in the Form of Someone Else series. One-Shot.


_An Unexpected Visitor_

* * *

"Crushcrushcrush" went off from Gwen's purse, interrupting her band's practice mid-song. Putting down her sticks, Gwen scrambled to get out from behind her drums. "Sorry," she said to her bandmates as she went over to the ratty couch where they kept all of their stuff during practice. "I thought I had my phone turned off."

"Uh-huh," MJ grumbled from in front of the microphone. Gwen just rolled her eyes at the girl and seriously wondered how it was two Spider-Men had ended up married to her. Admittedly, she got less on Gwen's nerves these days, Peter's death had really shaken the worst of the reckless, boy-craziness out of her, but still. MJ was so… _MJ_. Reaching her purse, Gwen quickly dug out her cellphone and pressed talk.

"Hello?"

"_Hi, is this Gwen Stacy?_"

She crossed one of her arms over her middle and shifted all of her weight to one foot. "Yeah," she answered. "Who's this?"

"_Good afternoon, Ms. Stacy. This is Officer Jefferson Davis, Miles's father._"

"Hey, Officer Davis," Gwen replied, surprised. "What can I help you with?"

There was a sigh on the other side before he said, "_I hate to even try to ask this of you because I'm sure you're a busy young woman with school, your band, and whatever else kids get up to these days, but I was wondering if you couldn't babysit my son for a couple of hours on Thursday? Miles's mother has a weird shift at the hospital she can't find anyone to cover and I have a night shift at the precinct. We'd usually ask his uncle to watch him, but he's unavailable and Miles doesn't do well with strangers as of late…_"

Gwen bit her lip. Thursday? She had a world history test on Friday and she'd been hoping to go out for a bit as Spider-Woman to do some more good this week, but she guessed she could squeeze in a few hours with Miles if needed. Besides, who knew if the opportunity would arise again if she said no? And she also didn't want for Miles to be upset and uncomfortable with some babysitter he'd never met before. "Maybe," she replied, "when would you need me from and until?"

"_Five-thirty until a little after eight._"

Gwen found herself smiling. That was totally doable. She could do some studying before she went over and go straight to being Spider-Woman after she left. "Yeah," she said. "I can do that."

"_Thank you, Ms. Stacy. I promise you'll be compensated for your trouble._"

"You're welcome, Officer Davis," replied Gwen. "Miles is a cute kid. I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun."

"_I hope for your sake you're right_," he said to her, tone light and teasing.

Gwen laughed and proceeded to make a little more small talk and get the address of the Davis-Morales's townhome out of him before ending the call. When she turned back around she saw MJ smirking at her and their other bandmates, the bassist and guitarist, were laughing into their hands. Unbidden, her eyebrows shot halfway up her forehead. "What?"

MJ tapped her chin with a finger and looked off to a corner of the sound-proofed basement with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. "Who was it last year that said she'd never babysit again after helping me out with my cousins?"

Gwen crossed her arms and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. "This is different," she grumbled. "I'm just watching him for a couple of hours, not a weekend straight while your mom is with their mom at the hospital." She licked her lips. "Plus, there's only _one_ Miles and I doubt he could be half as hyper as Kyle and Tyler— Especially after a day of school."

Her bandmate laughed at her. "Sure, Gwen." MJ smirked at her and added, "I'll make sure to be free when you're supposed to be babysitting in case you end up needing help."

Gwen frowned. While she knew MJ was mostly joking, it was still kind of annoying how little faith her bandmate had in Gwen that she could keep a kid alive for a couple of hours. Gwen had done it while they were kidnapped, hadn't she? And, honestly, the stakes there were _a lot _higher then than what MJ experienced with her cousins last summer. Turning to stuff her now silenced cellphone back in her purse, she muttered, "Don't bet on it."

-o-O-o-

Babysitting Miles was surprisingly low-key. Pretty much as soon as his dad had left for work, the kid had them sit down at his kitchen table and start drawing on a giant sheet of paper that covered the whole table. Miles had used his half of the paper to draw a cityscape full of skyscrapers and cars with Spider-Woman swinging from one building to another in a corner of the drawing while the Prowler was in the middle of the scene driving through the city on his motorcycle.

Gwen wasn't half as visually creative as Miles, but she'd always thought she had a knack for elephants and had filled up her half with a herd of them doing different things, like eating, trumpeting, and running around. As they'd drawn, Miles had filled Gwen in on his day at school. He was still who everyone wanted to sit with at lunch because Spider-Woman had waved to him at recess a month ago and in their science class they were now growing sunflowers in sandwich bags and every other day they'd sit down to observe their flowers and draw a picture of them to see how they'd changed between the days. He was also really excited for a birthday party a classmate was holding next weekend at a bowling alley and had asked her if she liked bowling too. Gwen had answered in the positive, though, she really was more of an arcade girl (and Dance Dance Revolution was her go-to game).

Things had been going so well she started to wonder when the catch would happen. She looked for it when she suggested they take a break from drawing to snack on some popcorn and do Miles spelling worksheet like they'd promised his dad they would do, but he agreed after a moment of pouting and assurance from Gwen they could return to drawing when they finished. Gwen again kept her eye out when seven-thirty rolled around and she told Miles to go get changed for bed, yet instead of whining, he skipped off to his room and reappeared a minute later in a Spider-Woman onesie. Gwen had covered her face and laughed before she assured him it was the coolest set of PJs she'd ever seen. Afterward, they sat down on the couch in the Davis-Morales livingroom to read a chapter out of _A Tree Grows in Brooklyn_ ("Mom's favorite book!") and wait for Miles's mother to come home.

Finally, as Gwen feared, the catch did come. Though, it was not in a way she had expected. Instead of from Miles, it came from a knock at the door. Gwen froze a moment, wondering who on earth could be knocking at the door this late in the fall evening, but reluctantly got up to answer when her Spidey-sense failed to go off. Smiling at Miles to assure him everything was fine even as he eyed the door with an understandable wariness, Gwen handed him the book and went to open it.

Her eyes flew wide when she saw the person on the other side. It was Miles's uncle. More than his presence, Gwen was shocked by how young he looked. Instead of being bald, like she glimpsed that Day at Peter's Aunt's home, he had hair that was shorn close to his head and no beard or mustache at all. Gwen hadn't given it too much thought, but it wasn't just Miles who was a kid, his parents and Uncle were younger too. They were probably all just out of their twenties— If that, in the case of Aaron.

"Hey," he said, smiling at her in a way that brought back memories of that moment in the foyer of her friend Miles's school.

Cheeks heating up, she giggled a little and stammered, "H–Hi."

"Uncle _Aaron_!" bellowed Miles, running past Gwen and to wrap himself around the man's middle.

"Sup, nephew," he greeted, reaching down to pick up Miles and set him on his hip.

Gwen's grip on the door handle only tightened. "Your brother said you were away on business."

"I wrapped it up early," replied the man as he brushed past Gwen and into the townhome. Turning a smile on Miles, he lifted a hand to tickle his nephew beneath one of his arms. "So I thought I'd drop in to pay my favorite kid a visit without his uptight dad breathing down my neck."

Gwen frowned. "I'm not leaving," she told him.

"Hm?" he mumbled, before nodding and letting another slow smile spread across his face. "Oh, man, sorry girl. My bro didn't pay ya before me left, did he? I betcha that was 'cause Rio's got the cash they owe you." Aaron reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, flipping it open and taking out a fifty. "This should be enough, right?" he asked, offering her the crisp bill.

Gwen blinked at the fifty in shock, wondering if he actually believed that's how much a couple of hours of babysitting cost before she realized he was trying to buy her off and fury settled over her. Turning away from the money offered to her, Gwen crossed her arms and told Aaron, "I was asked to babysit Miles from five thirty until his mom came home. I'm not leaving until Mrs. Morales is here."

The man slowly curled his hand around the fifty before pocketing it. "You serious?"

"Yeah!"

He stared at her a bit before he began to laugh. "Ooo, girl," he murmured, tone appreciative. "I like you. The last couple of babysitters my brother hired were _shit_ compared to you."

"Uncle Aaron! You can't say that!" Miles exclaimed, squirming in his uncle's arms he pointed over at a small crucifix hung by the home's stairs. "Jesus doesn't like it!"

The man looked over his shoulder at the crucifix Miles was pointing at. When he finished, he looked over at Gwen and rolled his eyes. "Your mom tell you that?" Aaron asked Miles.

"Uh-huh!"

Aaron patted Miles's back once before he let him down. "Well, I'll remember that the next I'mma about to."

This appeared to satisfy Miles as he smiled before grabbing his uncle's hand and saying, "Come look at the pictures me and Gwen drawed!"

He flashed her a smirk. "Helped out, huh?"

Gwen was still tense and unsure about what was happening right now, but shrugged and played along for the time being. She'd be able to keep Miles safe if she had to. She was Spider-Woman and she would _not_ fail him. "What can I say? Miles's is a master of persuasion," she joked.

Miles's uncle laughed as they walked into the other room where the drawing was. Eagerly Miles ran over and started to point at things. "That's Gwen's drawings! She drew a herd of elephants," he explained.

Aaron smirked over at Gwen who resisted the urge to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear and drop her gaze. There was nothing embarrassing about having drawn elephants. They were cute, even, if she said so herself. The man brushed a finger over a baby one she had shaking the paw of a mouse with his trunk and remarked, "Nice." Before he turned his attention to Miles's drawing. Unsurprisingly, his eyes were quick to find Prowler.

"Who's this?" he asked Miles.

The kid clambered into one of the dining table's chairs and said, "That's the Prowler! He saved me and Gwen from the kidnappers, remember how I told you, Uncle Aaron?"

Aaron traced the drawing. "Yeah," he answered. "I remember _real __good_."

Gwen saw an opportunity and leaned over the paper to point at Spider-Woman. "And this is Spider-Woman, right?"

"Yup," replied Miles. "She's flying from the apartments' rooftops, see? I saw her do that after she saved me from getting smooshed by a taxi."

"Wow," Gwen enthused. "She saved you too?" Sitting down in a chair, she put her head in her hands and smiled over at Miles. "That's _awesome_," she said. She looked out of the corner of her eye at Aaron before remarking, "And she's cooler than the Prowler, being a hero and all." She watched the man's hand turn into a fist over Miles's drawing as the kid himself nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah!" he agreed. "But I think the Prowler would be way cooler than her if he became a hero like Spider-Woman!"

Gwen laughed at Miles's declaration, but otherwise kept her attention on Aaron. His vaguely annoyed expression had turned to one of wonder. It seemed as if he couldn't believe Miles thought Prowler could turn into a hero. She wondered what he would think if Gwen thought the same was possible. Aaron had proved himself capable of good, he'd saved her and Miles from the kidnappers and in another universe, a different, but oh so similar Aaron, had been adored by Gwen's friend Miles and refused to kill him once he knew his nephew was the latest Spider-being.

However, before she could try to find out how Aaron would react to Gwen agreeing with Miles's sentiment, they heard the townhome's front door open. A fresh wave of excitement brightening his gaze, Miles lept from his chair and tore out of the dining room. "Mom!" he yelled. "Mom! Look who came to see me!"

Gwen hurried after Miles as Aaron snickered before tailing after them at a much more sedate pace. She walked into the adjoining room to find Miles sitting on his mother's hip with his arms wrapped tightly around her neck as he told her about the last couple of hours. Rio smiled tiredly at Gwen for a moment before she caught sight of Aaron and rolled her eyes. "Hey, Aaron," she said. "I thought you told Jeff you had work?"

"I wrapped it up early," the man replied brushing past Gwen to exchange kisses on the cheek with Miles's mother. "How's it going, Rio?"

"Oh, you know how it is at the hospital, _busy_," she replied as she set Miles down. Reaching into the purse she had slung over her shoulder, she pulled out a twenty for Gwen and said, "Thank you for watching Miles." She smirked over at Aaron then. "And for putting up with this pest."

Miles's uncle put a hand over his heart. "Ouch, Rio, and here I thought you liked me."

Gwen couldn't help but giggle into her hand, earning smiles from everyone. "It was fun," she told them as she went to pick up her backpack she'd left on a hook by the door. "If you ever need a babysitter for Miles, I'd love to come around again," she told the woman.

Rio's eyes warmed and she nodded. "Thank you, I'll keep that in mind." She then looked out the glass panes of her front door and asked, "Will your dad or mom be by soon?"

"Uh, yeah," she answered as she tugged on her tennis shoes. "But they said they'd meet me down at the ice cream place around the corner," she lied. She'd also lied to her dad that MJ had agreed to pick up her up from the Davis-Morales home and then they'd go back to her place to study for their test tomorrow. Gwen knew she should feel guilty about all of her dishonesty, but, really, it was coming easier to her every time she had to. Someday, she imagined she would be able to look someone in the eyes and lie.

Gwen actually kind of dreaded that day.

Miles's mom bit her lip. "It's a little late to be walking the streets on your own."

"Oh, I'll be fine," Gwen assured her. "Dad's been having me practice self-defense with him since, well, you know."

Rio cringed and dipped her chin, but looked no more willing to let Gwen leave. She jumped when she felt a hand touch her shoulder. "I'll walk her down, Rio," Aaron offered. "I probably should be going anyway."

The relief that flooded across the woman's face was palpable and Gwen sighed in defeat. It shouldn't be hard to ditch him there, right? He'd walk in her into the shop and go wherever he planned to while she "waited" for her late parent to show up (while in actuality she'd be using their bathroom to change into her Spider-Woman suit before leaving to go do some crime-fighting). It would be easy as pie.

After a last round of goodbyes with the Morales' Aaron and Gwen walked onto the street and down toward the ice cream shop. As they went, she looked up at the man and remarked, "He really loves you, doesn't he?"

"What? Miles?" He chuckled and looked away. "He's a good kid. You can't help but wanna be good around him too, ya know?"

Gwen thought of her friend. The little boy she had just babysat. She did know. Gwen nodded.

They reached the shop. Aaron started to look around. "Here we are," he said.

Gwen quirked her lips into a small smile. "Yeah," she answered. "Thanks for walking me down. I bet my mom or dad will be here any minute."

He looked around and rubbed the back of his head. "Do you need me to…?"

She shook her head. "No," she assured him. "I'm a big girl, I can standing in front of a nicely lit ice cream shop waiting for my parent to pick me up."

"Cool," he agreed, dipping his chin. "I wasn't too sure. I don't go around with many teenagers and relying on my memories of my teen-years seemed a bad idea since me and Jeff didn't grow up too nice."

She took this new information in stride. Gwen wasn't dumb, she knew people with poor childhoods were prone to bad decisions and it was now one factor she knew in who knew how many that made Aaron into the Prowler. "Thanks," she replied. Then, after a moment of hesitation, added, "You're a good guy."

He stared at her a moment, apparently surprised, then, tossed his head back and laughed. "You're not too bad yourself," he replied. Beginning to walk away, leaving Gwen at the ice cream shop, he called, "It was nice meeting you. I'll see you around, Gwen!"

"Bye!" she yelled after him. "Thanks again!"

He lifted a fist in response a moment before letting it fall striding down the street, getting lost in the numerous people still walking around. Once satisfied he was truly gone, Gwen went into the ice cream shop and right up to the young guy behind the counter.

"Where's your bathroom?" she asked.

* * *

**How did you guys enjoy Gwen babysitting? Our first look at this Aaron out of his mask?**

**Thank you for reading :)**


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